My iPhone Minimalist Video And Audio Travel Gear

(The above video is from a raw Instagram Live I did about my travel tech gear the day I left for Argentina for a month.)

iPhone Travel Gear

Are you traveling and still need quality equipment for iPhone videos, Lives, and photos?

Are you searching for the most compact yet effective gear to take with you on-the-go?

I’ve been on a quest lately (in all aspects of my life) to go as minimalist as possible. Obviously, switching from a Canon camera to my iPhone in 2015 for my visual marketing creating was a huge step. But what about audio and lighting? Well, in 2017, I spent four months in an RV van. And right now I’m in Argentina visiting family. So these wonderful travel experiences have really helped/forced me to downsize my gear.

So here’s everything I have with me here tech-wise to produce visual content with my iPhone. My iPhone travel gear fits in two small bags and gives me everything I need for audio, video, and lighting.

My iPhone Travel Gear List

If you’re not a photographer but are still using a professional camera for your blog and social media photos – hey, that’s A-ok! But for travel, truly consider if your phone will not suffice. Smartphone technology nowadays gives you the ability to take professional-level photographs. During our van trip, my husband made sure his Canon came with us. But I can count on one hand (maybe two) the times he took the extra effort to lug it out and set it up.

Here’s one of my favorite photos he took with his iPhone 7, edited with the Lightroom app:

So anyways, let me get going with this post.

While your iPhone alone already allows you to take professional photos and videos, there are some amazing accessories that can make them even better.

By adding an external mic, mount, lighting, and a few other items, you can be prepared for taking professional videos and photos for personal or business, no matter where you are – Japan, Jamaica or Hawaii (or Rachel, Nevada searching for aliens at Area 51).?

Let’s take a look at my favorite accessories for making sure my visual content marketing doesn’t suffer while on the road (And these are all Amazon affiliate links, so I get like 7% if you purchase?? Something like that.)

Stability

You definitely want stability when it comes to taking quality video of yourself, whether vlogging, doing mobile Facebook or Instagram Lives, Stories, etc. The Square Jellyfish Metal Spring metal mount can be clipped to any tripod and provides exceptional stability when it comes to taking high-quality photos and videos.

The screw on the back lets you adjust for vertical or widescreen orientation. I have three of these mounts and I attach them to any camera stand I have on hand. They are durable and last unlike some cheaper ones I’ve owned.

The Square Jellyfish Metal Spring Mount comes at an affordable price and provides excellent quality for both stability and durability.

In addition to stability mount to help you capture the perfect moment, you will also need the right stand to attach the mount to. I recently got the Polaroid 8” Heavy Duty Mini Tripod and I LOVE it. It’s compact yet sooo sturdy.

The stand features a mini ball mounting head at the top, which can be tilted 90 degrees, and turned around a full 360 degrees. The legs extend from 5” to 8”. It can also double as a shorter selfie stick.

Lighting

I used to think selfie Stories could only be taken during the day. That is until I got a LuMee light case. With the LuMee Duo Cell Phone Case, I can take selfie Stories and even quality talking head video that comes out clearly.

This ad video I made recently promoting SPMS enrollment and my tech bag bundle (that includes many of these items) shows the difference between using and not using the LuMee case.

The LuMee light case also saves me ALL the time when I simply need a bright light at night. I know we have the flashlight feature on our iPhones, but the LuMee button on my case is so much more convenient. And the light is also so much brighter.

Just keep in mind that the LuMee case adds weight and bulk to your phone. So if you don’t like large phones, I’d stay away from this product.

The perfect lighting setting can be useful not only in darker environments but even during the day. And although I absolutely love my LuMee light case, for amazing lighting for produced videos, I still want more. In the van, I initially carried a Prismatic Halo Ring Light with me because it’s smaller than a typical Diva or Neewer ring light. Well, during four months of travel, it never made it out of the box.

I have since come across the Rotolight Neo. It’s not cheap, but oh my goodness, I love it SO much. Even though it’s super bright and and fills your face perfectly with light, it’s still very small!

You can adjust the brightness and also the temperature. This means it can double for not only portrait photos/videos but also products (you would need a fill light or reflector to counterbalance this bright light).

It’s also powered by a standard AC Adapter or six AA batteries. So if you need it somewhere off the grid, no worries. Just make sure you’ve got some batteries.

Podcast Interviews And Desktop Lives

Getting ready to do a podcast during your travels? I don’t have a podcast but I do interviews on podcast shows from time to time. I also do desktop Lives so I can show myself and my phone screen at the same time. Here are my two must-have items for quality video and audio from my laptop.

A good webcam to help you capture your live or videocast is crucial and the Logitech C920 is what I use right now. It’s one of the best options in its class, providing 1080p video recording capabilities, unlike my Mac webcam which is only 720p.

The Audio-Technica ATR2100 is not the cutest mic on the market, but I get compliments on my audio in podcasts all the time (and audio is definitely not a strength of mine). I have since started using it during my Facebook Lives as well. It does show up in the screen at times, but I’d rather do that than wear a headset. For me, it gets the job done.

Here’s an example of a FB Live done at night with the Rotolight Neo, the Logitech webcam, and the Audio-Technica mic.

Power

One of the things that stresses me out the most during travel is making sure I have outlets for all my plugs. I recently got the Kinkoo 3 Outlet Travel Power Strip for this trip and I LOVE it. With just one outlet, I have three USB ports, one USB-C port, and three additional standard power ports. No more fighting with the hubs over who gets to charge their phone and/or laptop!

I don’t always remember to bring an additional power bank, but it definitely comes in handy when I do. I currently have the Poweradd Power Bank. I’ve had it for a couple of years now and it does a great job.

If you know you’re going to be away from outlets for an extended amount of time (or have more than one device), you’d definitely want to go more robust. But if it’s just to get your phone through a day of flights, then this bank works great. It offers 500mAh and ultra-compact size.

Final Note On My iPhone Video Travel Gear

In this post, I shared some of my personal favorite iPhone video travel gear that you can use while traveling to take high-quality photos and videos for your business and of your special memories.

Just because you’re traveling, doesn’t mean you can’t produce quality marketing videos and photos on-the-go. Take advantage of the amazing camera you already have on your phone and just a few simple accessories. Remember, less is more!

If you’d like to learn more about marketing with your iPhone, take the free course!

So what do you think? Is there an iPhone video or audio travel item here you could find useful? Is there a must-have tech item I missed?

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*Tabitha Carro is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com.

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Tabitha Carro

I'm OBSESSED with learning how to do anything and everything for my business from my iPhone. This has been essential to maximizing my snuggle time on the couch with my Yorkie-Poo and favorite human while growing my business on the go.